"So You Want to Be President?" Reflection

So You Want to Be President?

St, G. J., & Small, D. (2000). So you want to be president?. New York: Philomel Books.

Genre: picture book, non-fiction/informational- social science

"Sou You Want to Be President" is a Caldecott Award winning informational book that presents it's information in a different way. Although it is giving several facts about the first 42 presidents, it is written in a fun and light way. St. George and Fall give details about the presidents, Washington to Clinton. St. George gives various facts including presidential size, where they were born, their favorite hobbies, previous professions, even their level of education. The facts are presented in a more interesting way than your usual informational book, perfect for kids! Although this book is completely factual, the humor makes it a very fun read!

David Small's illustrations really make this book fun. He uses cartoon art, more specifically,caricatures, of the presidents to give the book a lighthearted feel. The broken lines give the pictures almost a silly feeling. I also enjoyed his use of color, the warm tones and bright colors add interest. The illustrations are also funny! You see multiple presidents climbing and helping each other in a tree on page 23 when learning about how many presidents have been related. You even see a very large illustration of Taft being lowered into a giant bathtub using a crane on page 17! This was to inform the reader that presidents come in all shapes and sizes. For every quirky, interesting fact written in the book, Small has an equally quirky and entertaining illustration to go along with it!

I think this book is a wonderful read-aloud for any elementary student, but especially K-3. What better way to learn about our presidents, than in a cute, funny picture book? Students would love to quirky and silly facts, as well as be able to make connections between the presidents and themselves! This book really shows the "human" side of our presidents and I think students would love that.

I will definitely be reading this book on President's Day from now on!